


Waiting for the Inevitable

by Cathalinaheart



Series: The Inevitable [1]
Category: Marvel 616
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Civil War (Marvel), M/M, Not A Fix-It, Podfic & Podficced Works, Steve is about to be executed for treason, Tony-centric, implied major character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 04:36:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20847620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cathalinaheart/pseuds/Cathalinaheart
Summary: Instead of dying on the court house steps, Steve is sentenced to death for treason. Tony is there the day they carry out the verdict.





	Waiting for the Inevitable

**Author's Note:**

> For the free space of my Bingo card.
> 
> Thank you to the_casual_cheesecake for providing me with the six words that prompted this story.  
And special thanks to Imperium and the_casual_cheesecake for beta reading this. As always this story is all the better for it.

**If you are reading this somewhere else than archiveofourown.org you are being ripped off. All fics are accessible for free (and ad free). #**

The wind was howling. Tony burrowed closer into his coat, shoulders drawn up high. The cold autumn wind was draining all the warmth out of him. Extremis should be able to take care of that, though, so maybe it was just what was about to happen that had him chilled to the bones. Tony had tried so hard to stop this from happening.

A small bang disrupted Tony’s thoughts. He was immediately in fighting position. But it was only a young girl who had popped a bubblegum bubble. She was looking at him funny.

He quickly turned away and forced himself to relax. He regretted being early, but he had not wanted to be late. Not because he couldn’t wait to see, no quite the opposite. But he had to be there. For him. It was Tony’s fault after all, so he owed the man to be there. He owed him so much more.

The bubblegum popped again. He was starting to feel sick, but he had to be here. Every breath was a painful reminder that Steve’s breaths were counted. It felt like Tony was stealing the oxygen right out of Steve’s lungs.

They were going to execute Captain America for treason. The man Tony had loved so fiercely, the man he had fought so harshly. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

There had always been the possibility of one of them dying on the battlefield. A hero’s death. But that was not a death fit for Captain America. He should die with his shield in his hand. Protecting others and standing up for what he believed in. Tony’s eyes trailed over the square, lingering on the structure in the center. No, this was not a death fit for anyone.

Another bubble popped. Each pop felt like a knife being twisted in his heart. He had never thought the public would turn so viciously against Captain America that they would sanction his death, would come to watch.

The wooden structure in the center of the square had been built on a stage. It was, after all, not everyday people got to witness the fall of a legend. The crowd was buzzing with anticipation. Tony saw several signs with Cap’s shield and the word traitor on it. But further in the back there were also people carrying signs, protesting the public execution.

However, that Cap was a traitor was the one thing everyone in this square seemed to agree on. Everyone but Tony. If anyone was a traitor here, it was him.

It had been decided that, because of the super-soldier serum, a lethal injection or the electric chair were not viable options. So they had decided on the device that had once made executions more humane. A guillotin.

Again, a bubble popped. 

The wood seemed sturdy and the sharp edge of the blade was glinting cruelly whenever a beam of sun broke through the heavy clouds. Tony was glad nobody had asked him to help create it. The thought of building it, constructing Steve’s cause of death, made him want to throw up. Still, Tony had spent some time researching the best way to construct a guillotin, to make sure it would cause the least amount of pain. Whoever had constructed this one seemed to have done a good job and Tony hated that he knew that.

What surprised him the most, was how diverse the gathered crowd was. It truly seemed like all of America had turned against the Captain.

Another bubble popped. Tony wondered how old the girl was. What parents would bring their child to an execution? And one that promised to be as bloody as this one? For the moment the girl didn’t seem to pay much attention to the proceedings, completely engrossed in her phone and bubblegum. The man Tony suspected of being the father looked like he might start salivating soon. He looked bloodthirsty. Had they lost family during the fights?

If Tony concentrated he could hear the chants of a small group of protesters several blocks away. At least some people seemed to have kept their decency throughout this whole ordeal, or maybe they just wished it was him instead of Steve. A trade he was more than willing to make.

Once again, a bubble popped. Reminding him that time was running out.

He was part of a select group of people that had been reserved the best place to watch. They told him it was an honor and a privilege.

It did not feel like one.

It was a punishment.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Waiting for the Inevitable](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21617824) by [Cathalinareads (Cathalinaheart)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cathalinaheart/pseuds/Cathalinareads)


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